Trump-Kim summit to be critical turning point for NK denuclearization: Moon

President Moon Jae-in said Monday the upcoming second summit between the United States and North Korea will become a critical turning point for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and peacemaking process.

Moon also said at a meeting with presidential secretaries and aides the US-North Korea summit slated for Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam will serve as an opportunity for the Koreas to elevate their ties.

(Yonhap)

“(The upcoming summit) will become a critical turning point that will advance to a specific and tangible level already agreed-upon principles, including the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, new US-North Korea ties and a peace regime on the peninsula,” Moon said.

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un plan to hold their second summit late this month in Hanoi following their historic first meeting in Singapore last June.

Denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang have since been in a deadlock, with the North calling for “corresponding measures” by the US in return for denuclearization steps that it has taken so far. The US wants concrete steps for the North’s denuclearization.

Moon expressed hope that the upcoming summit will be a historic event in ending confrontations and bringing peace to the peninsula.

“What’s more important for us is that the meeting will be a critical chance that will help develop inter-Korean relations,” he said. “Our future depends on stable peace.” (Yonhap)